To Love and to Love Again Chapter 25: Paranoia Baby
IMPORTANT DISCLAIMER AND AUTHORS NOTE: I do NOT own Naruto. The awesomeness of the Naruto Manga and World is the creation of Masashi Kishimoto. This is Purely Fanfiction. All things Medical in this entire fanfiction should not be taken as serious medical advice or facts. PLEASE CONSULT AN ACTUAL DOCTOR FOR ANY MEDICAL INFORMATION/QUESTIONS. THANK YOU AND ENJOY!
Kakashi made no movements as his brain tried to process the new information. Too many thoughts were rushing through his mind all at once. His heart felt as though it was being suffocated. Of all the things this could have led to, he would have never imagined it would have come to this.
Sai had a brother?
What kind of man had Sakura really married? What kind of Agent did he throw into his daughter's life all those years ago? And what business did he have with his family today?
What was the trigger?
That was the question on everyone's mind. The room was filled with silent wonder. A few people in particular were especially concerned.
"Exactly how does one verify the existence of relatives during recruitment into ROOT?" asked Neji. "It's not as though there wasn't any background information on Sai prior to his discovery."
"That's exactly what had occurred," Danzo answered as he gathered everyone's attention. "Absolutely nothing was known of Sai or his origins upon recruitment. It was apparent that he was suffering from some form of post traumatic amnesia. In all certainty he was the perfect subject for recruitment into the ROOT division."
"So you took an innocent child and threw him into the life of an undercover government operative?" asked Tsunade. "Not only that, but one that was suffering from psychological trauma? How old was he when you found him?"
Danzo gave her a smug look, enjoying her upset state.
"Same age as his boy today, roughly five-years-old," he answered. The room filled with sounds of gasps and shock. There were limits upon which the CIA would set for recruiting its Agents. The minimum age designated was at least twelve, with Kakashi being the rare exception at age ten. But to bring in a five-year-old into the life of the CIA?
"That's preposterous!" Tsunade shouted. "Do you realize how great the potential for a mental relapse could have been? How could you let this happen you deranged fool!"
She moved to get up, but Jiraya's hand stopped her as he stared at Danzo. "I should have figured as much. You and those ancient fossils running this organization need to get with this century. This isn't the feudal era anymore and your actions are more or less suspicious."
"You'd do well to remember where the line ends with your authority Jiraya," said Danzo, although his tone implied the warning was for everyone in the room. "ROOT adheres to a different set of rules for very specific purposes. It does not bode well for an Agent to be…swayed," he said while staring at Tsunade.
Tsunade's chest flared at his underlining meaning. She knew he was referring to Sakura's influence on Sai, as well as her own relationship with Jiraya. It was almost as though Danzo was toying with her. She would have responded, had the sound of a chair shuffling stopped her.
"And you Danzo," said Kakashi with a calm tone that was searing with meaning as he stood before the group. "Will do well to remember to be careful of whom you speak," he said with flaming eyes. He knew that Danzo was talking about losing his best Agent to Sakura, and Kakashi would never stand for that.
Danzo simply looked at him with his good eye.
"Every rose had its thorns Kakashi," he replied. Neji, Gaara, Kiba and Naruto all stood up at the remark against Sakura, ready to pounce, when Kakashi stopped them with the wave of his hand.
"Watch it Danzo," Jiraya warned. "You don't exactly know who you're dealing with."
Danzo looked in Kakashi's direction. It was at that moment that he finally saw it. Kakashi raised his head ever so slightly, giving Danzo a glimpse of that blazing red Sharingan eye.
Danzo stepped down, for now.
"Troublesome," Shikamaru mumbled as he and the guys walked out of the conference area.
Naruto agreed. "Who does that old bastard think he is? He gives me the creeps," he said as they walked around the training area.
"He threatened Kakashi," said Gaara. "His words hold hostility towards Sakura."
Neji nodded in agreement. "It's true that he holds a grudge against Sakura because of Sai, but the main focus here is apparently Sai's so called brother. This was no random act of burglary, that much is confirmed now."
"Sakura needs heightened security at all times," Gaara stated.
Naruto nodded in agreement. "She sure does. I'll bet Kakashi's already on it. You know she's good at the hospital with the five of us there, minus Tenten of course. She's good until she goes home."
"Then there's Sora," said Neji. "Kurenai and Lee are patrolling him there and Kakashi's around the house most of the time. Asuma is guarding Sakura on the streets as she drives…"
"And Kiba's covering their neighborhood at night," Kakashi said as he suddenly walked into their line of vision with Jiraya right behind him "So longs as they're never alone they should be fine," he added.
The three agents turned towards their Commander, carefully trying to get a read on his emotions. He left with Anko quickly after the meeting. His left eye was back to normal, meaning that she must have calmed him down somewhat.
"Don't worry Kakashi Sensei," said Naruto. "No one's going to get to them while we're around. I'll kick some ass before that happens. Believe it!"
Neji nodded. "You know we'll always be on guard Kakashi," he reassured.
"Keep in mind there's more to watch out for than just this criminal," said Gaara. "You know of whom I speak."
Neji tensed while Kakashi simply nodded. Naruto was out of the loop.
"Who?"
"Uchiha Sasuke," Gaara answered. "I don't trust him, or his relationship with Sakura." Shikamaru, who at this point was just simply listening, was interested at this piece of news. He gave a sideways glance at Gaara, trying to assess the meaning.
"Hey come on," said Naruto. "What's Sasuke got to do with any of this? If anything, it's better for her to be around him in her spare time. Sasuke's no push over, especially when it comes to Sakura. I've seen it myself," he said thinking back to how much he had changed since he met her. "He's got years of fight skills just pent up inside him."
"We don't know anything about him," said Gaara. "And don't forget the incident at the hotel. His child was also involved. We can't take anything lightly."
Naruto still wasn't convinced there was anything to worry about. "Well I know him and so do you guys," he said glancing in Neji's and Shikamaru's direction. "He may come off as a bastard, but he's a good guy. Just trust me on this one. She's in good hands."
Kakashi mumbled something about how he'd rather not have her in anyone's hands, but it went unnoticed by Naruto.
"If anything, I can agree with Naruto on Sasuke's athleticism," Neji said. "He is quite formidable in hand to hand combat, not to mention he's got a tacticians mindset."
"It sounds like a lot to come from an ordinary civilian," Gaara pointed out.
"It is," said Shikamaru. "But he is Sasuke of the legendary Uchiha Clan. Even if he doesn't realize his true lineage, he's still got the potential."
Kakashi agreed. "He's an Uchiha. That's a long line of military power that's been passed down to him. Itachi certainly benefited from it. It's actually a shame Sasuke wasn't discovered sooner. He has great potential as a fighter."
Naruto and Neji looked thoughtful, wondering why they never thought about that possibility before. If he was properly trained, Sasuke surely would have been a great asset to the CIA.
Jiraya shrugged. "It's a bit strange that no one thought to recruit him into the CIA, though I wouldn't have cared much to train him. He may be skilled, but training a supposed genius isn't that exciting for a teacher. That's why training a knuckle head like you was a better alternative," he said while ruffling Naruto's hair like a child.
"Yeah because a pervy old sage is the perfect choice for a mentor," he returned, earning him a smack on his head.
Kakashi sighed as he thought about Sakura and what she might be doing right now.
Sakura found a place to park and got out of her car, dressed in her light blue scrubs. She had just gotten off of work and was looking forward to picking up Sora and making him a good dinner. Her little mighty man needed more protein, but at the same time she wanted him to retain his babyish roundness a while longer. She carefully crossed the street and entered the school grounds, where she spotted Ino and the twins walking in her direction.
"Sakura!" Ino said with a wave. The twins also waved at her.
"Hi Ino. Have you seen Sora?"
"He's coming out with Kurenai."
Sakura raised an eyebrow. "Is Sora in trouble? Did he get hurt?"
"I don't know. Well there they are," she said as she pointed to Sora and Kurenai walking down the steps. Sora was carrying a folder stuffed with what appeared to be drawings. Kurenai was even holding his hand.
Sakura walked over and met them half way in the courtyard.
"Hi Mommy," said Sora. Sakura smiled at him.
"You must be Dr. Haruno," said Kurenai. "It's nice to finally meet you." She extended her free hand which Sakura shook politely.
"Just call me Sakura and it's nice to meet you too. But I have to ask, is there anything wrong with Sora?"
"Oh no. Sora is perfectly fine. He's not in trouble. I just wanted to talk to you, as well as all the other parents about our upcoming career day here at the school. Sora mentioned that you're a doctor and I wanted to know if you would be willing to come and speak to the children about it."
"Oh." Sakura looked thoughtful. "Career day huh? Kind of early in life for that don't you think? Well it sounds fun. When would this be?"
"Next week on Friday. There's also a district wide festival being held later in the evening with games and all kinds of things for the kids to do. I understand if you can't make it. You must have a very busy schedule."
Sakura shook her head. "I can come. I'll just bring my pager and go if I'm absolutely needed," she said while analyzing Kurenai more closely. Oh she wouldn't be the best Obstetrician in the country if she didn't notice Kurenai's current state.
"If you don't mind me asking, how far along are you?" Sakura asked. Kurenai just looked at her questioningly.
"I don't really quite know what you mean by that," Kurenai replied with a confused look. "Far along in what?" Sakura raised her eyebrow. If she didn't know then she must be early.
"Oh I'm sorry," Sakura said sheepishly. "I'm just incredibly nosy and I can't help myself. You should probably take a test, but to my knowledge Kurenai sensei, you're pregnant."
From the nearby black escalade parked around the school, Asuma abruptly choked on his cigarette and was now coughing up a storm. He was listening through Kurenai's communicator and had heard their whole conversation, not to mention the monitors back at the station would also know by now.
He was going to be a father!
"Eh w-w-what do y-you mean?" Kurenai stuttered. "Pregnant?" she asked while dropping Sora's hand out of shock.
"I'm pretty sure you're pregnant. You have all the physical indicators significant to early gestation. Tell me, have you been experiencing and nausea? Vomiting? Fatigue? Change in appetite? Heightened senses? Missed cycles?" she asked. Kurenai continued to stutter as she mentally checked marked yes to all those questions. She really was pregnant!
"Oh…my," she whispered with a spectacular blush on her face.
"I'm sorry to have shocked you like that, but I really thought you knew," said Sakura. At that moment, Ino came flying over and practically dragged the twins along when she got wind of the conversation.
"REALLY KURENAI?" she shouted with excitement in her eye. "That's fantastic news! I always knew you'd get knocked up within the year!" she said while literally bouncing on her toes. Sakura stood there wondering why Ino was so excited about Kurenai Sensei's pregnancy. It's not like they were friends or anything, at least not to her knowledge.
"I…I….what?" said Kurenai, who was still in a state of shock.
"I bet the FATHER is going to flip!" Ino shouted at her chest. Kurenai seemed to realize that gesture and panicked even more, which Sakura thought was odd. Ino wanted to make sure her former sensei heard that loud and clear in the car he was hiding in.
"Jeez Ino, don't scream at the baby. Anyway Kurenai Sensei, you should come and see me at the hospital, once you take an official test of course," she said while handing her one of her business cards. "I apologize again for my nosiness. And I'll definitely make it for career day."
Sakura, Ino and the kids walked back to their cars, leaving a frozen Kurenai in the middle of the court yard.
"I never knew you and Kurenai were such good pals. When did that happen?" Sakura asked, snapping Ino out of her happy place.
"Well it's pretty damn obvious when the father himself is special ordering flowers from my parents flower shop to be delivered here," Ino replied "I can tell just by the arrangements he sends her that he's in love. It's no surprise that Kurenai's pregnant when Asuma's romancing her with flowers of love."
Sakura paused. "Wait a minute, who did you say the father was?" Ino thought about it for a minute, trying to mold a story on the spot. It's not like Sakura would know anyway.
"Are you talking about Sarutobi Asuma? As in the cop? As in my dad's close friend whom I haven't seen in years Asuma?" Sakura specified. Ino blinked. So Sakura did remember Asuma from her childhood. She was sharp.
"Er...yeah. I didn't know he was your dad's friend," said Ino. "Talk about an ever smaller world."
"No way," Sakura said incredulously. "This is so weird. I'm running into people I know everywhere. Who will I run into next?"
"Well since we're on the subject of babies," Ino said before she thought too much about it. "What's the deal with you? Got a little something baking in the oven yet?" Sakura rolled her eyes. Sora looked up at Sakura questioningly.
"Are you making cookies today Mommy?" he asked. Ino's baking comment confused him.
"No sweetheart. Aunty Ino is talking crazy again," she said while glaring at Ino, who was not phased in the least bit. She seemed quite eager to finally get the scoop on her relationship with Sasuke. Sakura didn't even know how she managed to dodge that conversation for this long.
"Come to my place for dinner tomorrow night," said Ino. "I'll call Hinata and Naruto over too. We can have a nice little talk that you are not going to get away from. In the meantime, we've got dance class to get too," she said before leaving with the twins.
Sakura sighed and looked down at Sora. "Are those your drawings?" she asked as she glanced at the stuffed folder.
"Uh huh." He handed her the folder. "Kurenai Sensei say's I'm the best artist in the whole class," he said proudly.
"Your drawings are so amazing Sora. You're so talented you know that? You really are your daddy's son," she praised, earning an adorable smile from him.
"What kind of stuff did Daddy draw?"
"All kinds of stuff. He drew people, and animals, and beautiful sceneries. He even drew you and me a couple of times. He could draw and paint anything he wanted."
"Really? Cool. Can I see them Mommy?"
Sakura smiled and squeezed his hand. "Of course you can sweetie. I'll find them as soon as we go home. But in the meantime, how about some ice cream?" she asked. "I don't know about you, but I could go for a sundae right about now."
"Okay! I love ice cream, but can I have some tomatoes too?" he asked. Sakura chuckled. What had Sasuke done to her child? He's a tomato addict now.
"Only because you're cute," she said as they entered their car.
They drove to the shopping district and walked over to a big water fountain in the middle of the plaza. A local ice cream vendor was there by the fountain. Sora ordered a single scoop of chocolate whereas Sakura decided to go for a healthier frozen fruit bar.
She couldn't help but think about both Tsunade and Naruto's assumptions about her being pregnant, which made her a bit self-conscious about her midsection. And she thought she had done a pretty good job about keeping it flat. She sighed as they both took a seat around the fountain and enjoyed their frozen treats. Sakura decided to flip through more of Sora's drawings.
"Is that Sasuke?" she asked pointing to the picture of a ninja style character spitting out fire balls. Sora nodded, causing some of the ice cream to drip onto his shirt. Sakura quickly wiped it away with a napkin to prevent seepage.
"If he was a ninja," he explained. "Sasuke says he can fight like a ninja. He said he could beat up Uncle Naruto any day," he said making Sakura chuckle.
"Well I don't know," she teased "Uncle Naruto seems like he could put up a good fight. He never gives up."
Sora shook his head rigorously, ready to defend Sasuke. "Nuh uh. Sasuke said he always used to beat up uncle Naruto because he's a dobe."
"Uncle Naruto is Sasuke's best friend, just like you and Akio. I'd say they're more like brothers," she added thoughtfully.
"Who's your best friend?"
Sakura smiled and kissed his cheek. "You are."
"Mommy," Sora whined.
"Well I have a lot of friends," she said. "There's Aunty Ino, and Tenten and Uncle Neji and Hinata, and Temari and Uncle Gaara. I have lots of them."
"What about Sasuke? Is he your friend too?"
Sakura nearly choked on her fruit bar and tried to cough it off inconspicuously. She looked down at Sora, who was licking his ice cream and staring pointedly at her.
"Well he's uh…he's more like um," she didn't really know what to tell him. If she said boyfriend, Sora would just pry even further. "Yes, he's my friend too," she said. It was true in a sense. He was an incredibly sexy friend she just happened to be sleeping with.
Sora was satisfied enough with that answer anyway. He just went back to licking his ice cream cone and swinging his little legs off the fountains edge. Sakura continued to flip through his stack of drawings. It was just like when she would flip through Sai's sketches. One particular drawing caught her eye.
"Who's this?" she asked as she held up the drawing of a white haired masked figure.
"Nobody," Sora answered. "He's just a ninja." Sakura looked at it more closely.
"It's very good," she said eyeing the drawing. "Were you thinking of Grandpa when you made this? He has a tattoo on that same arm," she said while looking at the strange mark he had drawn.
"No, it just looks cool."
Sakura shrugged and just placed it back on top of the stack. She checked the time on her watch and decided that it was time to go home and start dinner, although she had probably just spoiled their appetites with the ice cream. She at least had to cook for her father if he was going to drop by.
They finished their ice cream quickly before driving back home.
Kakashi was already there, sitting on the couch and reading his book. He released a manly giggle as he turned the page.
"Grandpa!"
Kakashi slammed his book shut and threw it over his shoulder just in time to catch his flying grandson. Kakashi tossed him in the air playfully as the rest of the dogs raced to greet Sakura at the door.
"When did you get home?" she asked as she pet the dogs and smiled at Sora's giggles.
"I've been here for a while," he answered. "I got an interesting call from your Uncle Asuma. You remember him?"
Sakura chuckled. "Yes I do and I can guess why he called too since I ran into a Sora's teacher this afternoon. They're going to have a baby."
"And apparently you were the one who figured it out," he said as Sora climbed onto his back. "That was an interesting call. I assume you'll be her doctor then?"
"I gave her my card. I think she'll be due in November, which is usually the biggest time of the year for babies to be born."
"Why's that?"
"Because nine months prior to that is Valentine's Day madness, time for the most conception," she answered.
"Speaking of babies…," Kakashi began, making Sakura freeze on the spot. "How are the Hyuga triplets doing?" he asked, noticing the way she suddenly stopped moving before relaxing.
She released a breath. "Oh." For a minute there she actually thought her father was referring to her. Talk about paranoia.
"They're all doing great. I'm going to discharge them tomorrow. Neji and Tenten can finally go home, although Tenten is still going to be out of commission for at least three months. Can't have her near any dangerous objects anytime soon," she said while trying to ease the paranoia out of her system.
Kakashi mentally agreed. Ever since Tenten became pregnant, she was out of commission for the CIA as well. They made due with her expertise on advanced weaponry and machinery while keeping her out of actual field work until she could return.
Kakashi tried to release all the strain of the day and just simply resolve himself to playing with Sora for the rest of the night. The news about Sai had taken its toll on him. There was not much he could do but keep close to Sakura and Sora until further information was discovered.
Sakura stepped out of the NICU and removed her protective gown. It was turning out to be a slow day, which was a great thing in the hospital. It meant more healthy babies that didn't need medical care.
She removed her mask and gloves and discarded those as well before walked back to her office. Along the way, she couldn't help but remember all the stares she was receiving, or the whispers that followed her throughout the day.
"…actually married to him…,"
"Yeah…that's his wife…,"
"…damn her…"
"…have a little boy…looks just like Mr. Uch..,"
"I heard it was a girl…,"
"…at least five years old…,"
"…saw him myself. A little Sasuke…,"
"…wish I got to bed him every night…,"
"…hear she's pregnant again…,"
"Che…explains the weight gain,"
"…saw her at the store with their son…,"
"Mr. and Mrs. Uchiha?"
That last one really stuck to her. She hadn't seen much of Sasuke since their last meeting, and as much as she missed him, she was going to try to keep her space. At least until she had time to process their new atmosphere.
But it was becoming increasingly difficult to be away from him. With every rumor came the strong desire to see him again. She was most content when she found herself in his strong arms, laying her head on his chest and just being with him. And she still knew so little about him. It was really quite amazing, or rather, he was amazing; in his own way of course.
She opened the door to her office just in time to hear her desk phone ringing. She plopped herself onto her cushy arm chair and pressed the speaker phone.
"Doctor Haruno speaking," she said as she kicked her shoes off and wiggled her toes in the air.
"You're avoiding me," came his deliciously sexy voice. Sakura nearly slipped off her chair at the sound of his slightly bothered tone. She took a breath to compose herself.
"I am not," she replied as she sat up straight and folded her arms on top of her desk. "I'm just busy," she lied. "Weren't you always busy before you met me?"
"Since the day I met you, my work load doubled," he answered. "And I know you're not busy. The NICU census is at an all-time monthly low since the Hyuga triplets are counted as discharged already."
"Well I have my expectant mothers as well as the pediatrics unit to maintain. Saving lives is a 24 hour job."
"Hn."
Sakura tried to imagine what he'd be doing at this very moment. Probably sitting in his big black leather armchair and skimming over files like he usually does. "There's a conference being held at the Leaf Hotel two weeks from today in regards to innovated technologies in bio engineering. We need to check in by 5:00 pm," he informed.
"We? I didn't know I was going."
"You are," he stated with absolute finality.
"As a doctor or as your date?" she asked as she played with her circle necklace. "Because I don't see how I have a role in this conference, and I certainly wasn't asked to go." She imagined that he'd be rolling his eyes in annoyance, which is what he did.
"It was necessary to make the arrangements without your regard. Unless you'd like to personally tell me otherwise," he said. She could practically feel his smirk through the phone.
"I would love to but unfortunately I have to go to the grocery store and pick up some more organic tomatoes for my little boy at home, who seems to have picked up an obsessive taste for lycopene."
"Smart boy."
"He gets it from his mother, and I'd rather not take my child to another hotel anytime soon," she said remembering the event in December.
"It's not a family affair. It's a business venture. These supposed technologies are strictly designed for the study of regeneration of tissues. It's recommended to bring the leading physician in each department for input and analysis."
"Well then I hope you have a great time with Tsunade," she replied smiling. "You'll make a lovely pair." She heard him sigh.
"You will come to this event."
"I believe you may have to…make me," she tempted. She was luring him here and she couldn't stop herself. She never realized that she could be so flirtatious. It was quiet on the other end for what felt like an eternity.
"…I will," he finally said before hanging up. Sakura was doused with a wave of shivers before hitting the off button on her phone. She jumped when it suddenly rang again. Tentatively, she pressed the speaker button.
"Hello?"
"Hey Sakura," Tenten greeted. "We're about to leave the hospital. Come see us off?" Sakura smiled.
"Tell my god-babies that I'm on the way!" She grabbed her white coat and exited her office. She went by Tenten's room and found them with the babies all packed and ready to go home for the first time since their birth.
"It's so hard to let go," Sakura lamented with mock sadness. "You and Neji are all grown up now," she said as she placed her hand on Tenten's shoulder.
"Yeah yeah," Tenten huffed. "Enough water works, let's get outta here. Being a patient doesn't suit me very well."
Neji handed her the boys, whom she held gingerly in each arm, while Sakura picked up baby Ayame and held her close. Neji got behind Tenten and pushed the wheelchair out of the room.
Again, they received many stares, but Sakura was unaware of whether it was because of the babies or her. Lately her hearing had become super sensitive, although she could have attributed this to sheer paranoia. She did manage to pick up some snippets of conversation along the way.
"…got baby on the brain I suppose…,"
"…she really pregn…"
"…hear they have sex in his office…,"
Sakura unconsciously walked a bit faster. She hated being the center of mindless gossip. She had a reputation as a healthcare professional and it was slowly but surely being tainted as the hospital whore. She pushed those thoughts back and focused on the babies.
"So are you guys all set up at home?" she asked while blowing kisses to a sleepy Ayame.
"Oh yeah it's all set up. We should be fine," Tenten answered thinking of their real arrangements. As part of the CIA protocol, if two Agents were to ever have a child between them, then it was mandatory that the parents and child reside within the CIA headquarters for at least three months as a security precaution. There was nothing more vulnerable than new parents with a baby as their greatest collateral.
"Good," Sakura said while cuddling the baby. "You're going to go home today sweetie, yes you are. And then in a few years' time you'll go to school and make friends and then you'll have your first boyfriend!" Neji's mood darkened at the last statement.
"Hey Sasuke," said Tenten as they came to a halt. Sakura froze and stepped slightly behind Neji. Sasuke noticed of course.
"I have a car waiting outside for you," Sasuke said as he took in the sight. It was the first time he ever really got a look at the new Hyugas. Watching Neji and Tenten with three new babies was very strange. To think that that Hyuga bastard was now a father of three was just weird. Then there was his elusive girlfriend hiding behind them for whatever reason with a pink little bundle in her arms.
He never realized how fitting it was to have her holding a baby. It suited her well.
The sound of hurried footsteps caught their attention. They barely made out a green blur before Rock Lee's figure stood before them.
"I am pleased to see that I am not too late," said Lee. "I have come to see you all off. As godfather, it is my duty to make sure you are well taken care of in this crucial peri-natal period!" He then caught sight of Sakura hiding behind Neji, and his eyes lit up.
"Oh Miss Sakura!" he shrieked. "I didn't see you there, but how fitting that we should meet here together. You and me, seeing our godchildren away," he said with near tears in his eyes. "How should I be so lucky?" He was too joyous to notice Sasuke's irritated aura.
"Perfect timing Lee," said Tenten. "Now you can help us take Ayame downstairs. I know Sakura's very busy," she said with a hint of a smirk on her face. Sakura internally gasped and looked back and forth between Sasuke and Tenten. This was a set up! All so that she would be stuck talking to him! Oh how she burned on the inside.
"It would be my honor," said Lee as he took the baby from Sakura's arms. Sakura surrendered her unwillingly and refused to meet Sasuke's gaze.
"See you guys later," Tenten grinned as Neji wheeled her away. They vaguely heard Neji threaten Lee about the consequences of dropping Ayame in his excitement before they disappeared around the corner. The moment they left Sasuke approached her, barely keeping more than a foot of space between them.
The murmurs from surrounding workers and nurses quieted down as they tried to listen to their conversation.
"How did you get Tenten to play along?" she asked while focusing on his shoulder.
"By giving her my collector's edition Shuriken as a belated baby shower gift." Sakura raised an eyebrow. Weaponry was not a baby shower gift.
"So much for baby proofing that house." She finally met his gaze, slightly taken aback by the intensity of his black orbs. He was such a gorgeous man. There wasn't much more she could say about him physically.
They stayed locked onto each other's eyes for what seemed like an entire minute before he moved.
He took a step forward, making her take one back. This continued discreetly until they were around the corner and away from the nurse's venomous glances. Sakura practically backed into her office door as he pushed it open behind her and almost slammed it shut after himself.
He waited until the door clicked shut before pulling her against him and capturing her lips in a smoldering kiss.
Sakura kissed back and moaned as she crushed herself against him. Sasuke moved his hands up to her shoulders and slid the white coat off. The coat fell to the floor leaving her in her light blue scrubs. She immediately wrapped her fingers into his hair as he pushed her back onto her desk and kissed her deeper.
Sakura moaned again when his tongue clashed with hers.
"How long…did you think…you could hide?" he asked in between attacks on her lips as his hands moved south, grabbing her behind with a vengeance. Sakura gasped and threw her head back against her desk, vaguely aware that her papers and picture frames were falling off the edge and onto the floor.
"Longer than this," she choked as his lips slid down her cheeks to her neck. His hands moved up, tracing the contours of her abdomen before moving to her chest. She could feel the heat of his hands between the thin layers of her scrubs.
This was so typical of her body. It reacted instantly upon his every touch. Sasuke worked to move his lips across as much of her body surface as he could before he had to call it quits. He only had so much time.
He covered her mouth with his once more and pulled her up against his chest, bringing her back to a sitting position. Sakura wrapped her arms around his neck, desperate to keep their kiss intact.
Slowly, they stopped and barely pulled apart with heavy breaths.
Sakura found herself sitting on the very edge of her desk, arms and legs haphazardly tangled around her very dark, very strong, very sneaky boyfriend.
Sasuke leaned in and kissed her with more care this time, relishing the taste of her. It wasn't so much her absence that bothered him as it was her determination to extend that absence for whatever reason she could come up with. He didn't want to be clingy, because he was an Uchiha and hell would freeze over before he became clingy.
Her fingers tangled themselves in his hair as her nails gently scraped at his scalp, sending a pleasant sensation down to his neck and back. Sasuke's grip on her tightened in reflex as the tingly feeling traveled down his spine. He moved his lips along the side of her face as she continued to play with his hair.
"How's Suki," she asked lazily, closing her eyes as his lips traced her face.
"Fine." He was more interested in her ear at this point. Sakura chuckled as leaned back to see his face.
"I bought some vitamins for her. Chewable vitamins C and other nutrients. She should take one a day." Sasuke brought his hand up to her face and pulled her in for another kiss.
"Hn." He added more intensity into the kiss and it wasn't long before he could sense the longing in her body. He felt it as well, and knew that he needed to get away before he ended up taking her on her own desk in the middle of a work day. Perhaps if this was his office in the secluded top floor of the building where no one could hear them, but it wasn't. This was the maternity ward.
"Meeting is Saturday night. You will be there," he said gazing into her eyes. Sakura simply nodded, eyes cloudy with lust. He smirked and kissed her again with intent laced in between. "After that…," he said pulling away from her hazy form. "You're mine. You can't hide from me. I'll always know how to find you," he said with a certain tone that Sakura just couldn't quite put her finger on. It was almost like a warning.
He straightened up and hovered by the door. He kept his eyes on her lustrous form and concentrated on the echoes coming from the hall outside. When he concluded that there was no one roaming the halls within the second, he exited her office.
The sound of the door closing snapped her out of her hormonal rage. Sakura took two deep breaths, adjusted her clothes and hopped off the desk, only to be filled with frustration when she realized that she had been cornered, attacked, manipulated, and submissive all at the same time. He MADE her, and it pissed her off.
"Dammit," she huffed, kicking the papers on the floor. She cursed again, picking up her coat and putting it on before getting the important files and everything else that had fallen off the desk. Not only did he leave her unsatisfied, he left her a mess as well. Sakura had barely managed to stack the papers on her desk when the door opened once more.
She was about to turn around and yell at Sasuke, before she caught sight of who it was.
Tsunade held the door open with a composed face and assessed the scene. Messy desk, pictures on the floor, Sakura frozen in mid step with a flushed face and disheveled appearance…Sasuke was here.
"Can I help you Tsunade?" Sakura asked exasperatedly. This was the last thing she wanted to deal with. Tsunade merely remained standing at the doorway, observing her apprentice in many ways. She sighed and fished for something in her pocket.
"Here," she said as she pulled out a slender lavender colored box and tossed it in Sakura's direction. She caught the box and sighed at the home pregnancy test in her hands. "Just a precaution."
"No," said Sakura. "I know when I'm pregnant and I don't need a test to tell me so." Plus it was way too soon to jump to this.
Tsunade sighed and closed the door. "Think of it this way: Your annual physical exam is coming up soon and you should just get this step out of the way since you are active this year. For the love of poker chips, he's jumping you in your office Sakura. Have you really lost this much control?"
"No one's more frustrated about that than me."
"Take the test. I'm not letting you skip it." Sakura held back a frustrated groan and followed Tsunade out to the nearest restroom.
Sakura washed her hands as the pregnancy test was left near the sink. She rinsed them clean and wiped with a towel before looking at her reflection in the mirror. Her breasts weren't any bigger than usual. Her skin tone was the same, body temperature was normal and her diet hadn't changed at all. Her last period was a healthy two weeks ago, and now that she was on birth control, she wouldn't have to be as suspicious.
Tsunade walked into the restroom at that point. "Well?"
Sakura picked up the stick and examined the results. She froze as her eyes bugged out and she gapped at Tsunade, who was beginning to widen her eyes as well.
"I…I'm pregnant!" Sakura shouted. "Oh my God!"
"You are!?" Tsunade screeched with as much surprise in her voice. She moved to grab the stick.
"No." Sakura chuckled lightly. "It's negative, like I said it would be." She showed her the negative sign. Tsunade grabbed the stick from her hand and then glared at Sakura when she saw the sign was indeed negative.
Sakura wasn't fazed. "What? I deserve some fun after everyone staring at my belly for the past few days."
"That's not funny you silly girl," Tsunade chided. She tossed the stick into the trash bin and washed her hands furiously before she walked out of the bathroom, closely followed by a still chuckling Sakura.
"I'm sorry I'm not having a child out of wedlock," she said sarcastically. "Forgive me for knowing my own body through and through." Tsunade just huffed and continued walking.
"Well now you're free to have all the sex you want," she replied making Sakura blush.
"Yes I can, but that's beside the point. Were you hoping for another grandchild?" she asked. Tsunade proceeded to ignore her 'daughter', hiding the fact that a small part of her was truly sad that she would not be a grandma again anytime soon.
Not that she would ever tell anyone of her secret grandchildren desires.
Sakura's chuckles continued for the rest of the day. In the end she was glad she took the test because now she had something to laugh about.
Sasuke sat in his living room that night with a pile of papers in his lap. The meeting was coming up soon, and he needed to make the right arrangements if he wanted to get there on time. It wasn't so much for the conferences sake rather than his need to be thorough.
The sound of angelic humming filled the room as Suki hummed the tune to the new "Gake no ue Ponyo" movie.
Suki was happily sitting on the floor before Sasuke and drawing with crayons on a stack of papers on the coffee table. Mikoto had left a few minutes ago after Sasuke and Suki had eaten their dinner and Suki had gotten her bath. It was nearing 8:00 pm when Suki put down her crayons and walked over to her father.
"Look Daddy," she said as she held up the drawing of a pink haired girl in a pink fluffy dress. "It's Aunty Sakura. I made her a princess."
Sasuke eyed the drawing and smirked at her picture. "That's good Tenshi. Sakura will like that."
Suki put the drawing down and looked thoughtful. "Daddy how come I can't stay with Aunty Sakura tomorrow?" she asked pouting. Sasuke had told her before that she would be staying with her Uncle Naruto and Aunty Hinata while he was away tomorrow.
"Sora will stay with Uncle Naruto too, because Sakura is coming with me to the meeting," he explained. Suki walked up to him and stood next to his chair.
"How come?" she asked with her hands on the arm of the chair.
"Because she has too," he said while flipping his file.
"How come?"
"Because she's a doctor."
"How come?" she asked again. Sasuke put his papers down and looked at her.
"How come you're not in bed?" he asked as he scooped her up and began walking towards the stairs. Suki giggled a bit before the yawning started.
"I'm not…(yawn)…sleepy," she said while rubbing her eye. Sasuke picked up her drawings and laid them on the table as they passed by.
"Yes you are," he said as he climbed the stairs.
"No I'm not…(Yawn)," she said as her head plopped on his shoulder.
"Yes you are," he said as he opened the door to her room. Suki barely mumbled a word before she was out for the night. Sasuke tucked her into bed and laid her stuffed piggy next to her before kissing her cheek and turning on her nightlight. His phone vibrated in his pocket as he closed the door to Suki's room. He checked the caller ID: Sakura
"Anything wrong?" he asked. He heard her sigh.
"Normal people say "hello" you know."
"Hn," he said before he heard another sigh.
"Has Suki gone to bed?"
"Yes."
"What did she eat for dinner?"
"Grilled fish and stir-fry," he said. "And the vitamins that you gave her."
"That's good. I assume you've been taking care of yourself as well? I don't need to do another physical on you do I?"
Sasuke smirked. "Do I need to get physical on you?" he asked before he mentally stopped and wondered when the hell be began saying crap like that.
"Perv," she said while fighting the blush pool. "I never would have thought you were the taunting type. Leaving me in my office and now playing with words over the phone…you're quite the romantic," she said sarcastically.
"Hn."
"Did the school mention anything about a career day?" she asked. "Kurenai Sensei talked to me about it today, right before I told her she was pregnant."
"I received a phone call about that. I'm not going."
"Sasuke, you have to be there. Suki would want you to come."
"I don't think five-year-olds can comprehend corporate management."
"Be there for Suki. It would mean so much to her to have you come to her school and talk about your work, even if they don't get it. Do I need to remind you how much she loves you?"
Sasuke glanced into her room, watching her precious form sleeping away. Sakura didn't need to tell him. He knew.
"Fine," he conceded. She chuckled on the phone. Sasuke could hear some commotion in the background. It sounded like the TV. "He's not in bed," he said referring to Sora. Sakura turned her head towards the living room and watched Sora flipping through Sai's drawings on the couch.
"Technically not in bed, but I'm going to give him a few more minutes until bedtime. I just wanted to see how Suki was doing. I miss her." Sasuke smirked as he made his way downstairs and back to his living room.
"She made you a drawing," he said while holding it up before him. "She keeps complaining about why she can't stay with you on Saturday."
Sakura chuckled. "Poor baby. I'll see her when we meet at Ino's house." Sasuke just hn'd on the other line. "Well okay then, I may or may not see you tomorrow."
"Hn," he said again.
"Goodnight to you too."
"Did you lock all your doors?" he asked quickly.
"Yes I did and the alarm is set up and my father is here. Everything is fine. I'll see you tomorrow."
"Goodnight Dr. Haruno."
"Goodnight Mr. Speech impaired Uchiha," she said before hanging up. Sasuke glared at the phone before hanging up and checked his wrist watch. The GPS grid showed her to be in her home at the very least.
After talking to Sasuke, Sakura settled down in her living room for the night. It was an exhausting day filled with making out, pregnancy tests and babies galore for Sakura, who was currently enjoying a bit of leisure time with her family.
Sora lay on his belly across the living room floor, dressed in his jammies and flipping through books of his father's art work which Sakura dug up from storage. He had been at it for the past hour or so and couldn't stop flipping the page. Kakashi was sitting in the living room as well, reading through his favorite novels covered up in a magazine.
Sakura was sitting on the couch, flipping through this month's medical journal. She was reading an interesting case about cardiac anomalies when the phone rang. She leaned over to the lamp stand and picked up the line.
"Hello?" The line was quiet on the other end. "Hello?" she said again. When no reply came, she pushed the off button and placed the phone back on the stand. She briefly went back to reading her medical journal when the phone rang again. This time she checked the caller ID, which showed it as an unknown caller.
"Hello?" Again, there was no response. "Hellooo?" she crooned. Kakashi looked up from his magazine. She hung up once more with a frustrated sigh. She barely flipped the page on her journal before the phone rang again. This time she just let it ring.
"Who could be calling at this hour?" Kakashi asked, all the while sending a message through his communicator back to headquarters. "You want me to get it?" he asked. Sakura shook her head.
"I don't know, but if it's important, they'll leave a message," she said frustratingly as the phone continued to ring. Sora looked up from the ground and stared questioningly at his mother as she let the phone ring. The caller never left a message.
Five minutes went by without another call, so Sakura decided to head to the kitchen and get a glass of water. Sora got up to follow her and just as he passed the phone, it rang again. Curiosity getting the better of him, he reached over and picked it up.
"Hello?" he answered. A moment went by before Sakura walked back to the living room and took the phone from him. She listened but all she could hear was the dial tone. They hung up.
"Sora, don't pick up the phone at home while I'm here."
"But that guy said something Mommy." Kakashi and Sakura both stilled.
"What?" she asked. "What guy?"
"He said he's watching you," Sora answered. "Who's watching you Mommy?"
Sakura gasped and dropped the phone as bone chilling fear doused her body. Kakashi immediately knelt down beside Sora and firmly grasped his little shoulders.
"Who said that Sora?" he asked. "Who was on the phone?"
"I don't know," said Sora, who was beginning to get frightened by his grandfather's tone. Kakashi looked at Sakura, who was stricken with fear at whom her son might have talked to.
"You don't think that…," her voice shook. Her thoughts immediately went back to the break in, and the possibility that it could have been that man again.
Kakashi's thoughts were headed in the same direction. Sakura grasped Sora and held him close as Kakashi placed his arm over them. It had to be him. Who else could it have been but Sai's damn brother?
"Mommy?" Sora asked looked up at her. Sakura held him closer and tried to calm her shaking as Kakashi pulled out his cell phone.
"It's Kakashi. I have a situation. My daughter and grandson are being stalked," he said making Sakura shake even more.
He hung up the phone and tossed it aside as he brought the wine glass up to his lips. He took a large sip before putting the glass down and holding up the white silk against his face. He just needed to hear her voice for now…but soon he would need to see her.
He chuckled as he recalled what he told the boy over the phone.
"Tell your mommy I'm watching her. I'll always be watching her…," he said before he hung up.
He looked at the pictures in the file he was holding. Pictures of a man leading an average, normal life. No signs of that nostalgic hatred and blood lust that once drove the said man to be the monster that he had once been.
Pictures of that deadly man running a hospital of all the ironic things.
Picture of that man holding a little girl.
Pictures of that little girl in the arms of the woman he loved.
Pictures of that little girl and a little boy.
Pictures of his cherry blossom being ravaged in that deadly man's office. Rage began to infiltrate his blood.
"I'm watching you too…Sasuke."
AUTHORS NOTE READ: REVIEW PLEASE! LONG REVIEWS ARE MY MUCH NEEDED MEDICINE!
THANK YOU FOR READING THIS STORY 201267yami and your cousin who checks for an update every day! THANK YOU!
This chapter shout out goes to my fanfic buddy darkpetaltalki and to a dedicated reader, 201267yami and her cousin whose message gave me the mojo to stay up till 1am to finish this.
It's 1am...I'm so tired...have to work at ...cough...6am..cough...X)
*Sora and Suki and Jun come and poke my fallen body with sticks*
REVIEW PLEASE! COUGH REVIEW! REVIEW IF YOU LOVE SORA AND SUKI AND JUN!